NY Philharmonic Receives $10 Million Gift From Henry R. Kravis Endow Its New Composer-in-Residence position

The New York Philharmonic will receive a $10 million gift from Henry R. Kravis in honor of his wife, Marie-Josée Kravis, to endow its new Composer-in-Residence position, a major initiative of Alan Gilbert's tenure as Music Director, which begins this month. The Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg will be the first to hold the position of The Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic, a two-year post that begins on September 16, 2009, with the world premiere of Mr. Lindberg's EXPO - the opening work on Alan Gilbert's inaugural Opening Night Concert as the Orchestra's Music Director.

The Kravis gift will also fund the creation of The Marie-Josée Kravis Prize for New Music at the New York Philharmonic, to be awarded to a composer for extraordinary artistic endeavor in the field of new music. The Kravis Prize will consist of an award of $250,000, among the largest of any prize for new music, and a commission from the New York Philharmonic. The grant will be bestowed every two years, beginning with the 2011-12 season. Additional attributes of the award will be announced at a later date.

Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis have been instrumental in their support of an important body of new works from leading composers for the New York Philharmonic, including, among others, the commissioning of Peter Lieberson's The World in Flower (premiered May 2009), Esa-Pekka Salonen's Piano Concerto (February 2007), and Stephen Hartke's Symphony No. 3 (September 2003).
"It gives me great pleasure to honor my wife, Marie-Josée, with a gift of music," says Henry R. Kravis. "It is my hope that the New York Philharmonic will enrich its repertoire through the new works composed by the Composer-in-Residence and by the prize for new music, with such works lasting for many years."

"We are thrilled to receive such a generous gift from the Kravis family geared specifically toward the creation and fostering of new music," says Zarin Mehta, President and Executive Director of the New York Philharmonic. "The Philharmonic has a long history of championing the music of its time, and our decade-long relationship with the Kravis family has already helped contribute to that tradition through the commissioning of many important new works. We salute the Kravis family for its commitment to contributing to this extremely important cause, which will help to keep classical music alive and relevant in today's world and in the future.""The support of composers and the creation of new works for the symphony orchestra are integral to the health and future of classical music," says Music Director Alan Gilbert. "I am awed by the level of commitment that the Kravises are showing for new music, and I am particularly pleased that it involves the Composer-in-Residence position, which is such an important part of what I hope to bring to the Orchestra. This magnificent support will allow the New York Philharmonic, Magnus, and me, and composers we may not yet have met, to build on the Orchestra's history of commissions and premieres."

"I am honored to be the first to serve as the Philharmonic's Composer-in-Residence under Alan Gilbert's tenure as Music Director, and am even more pleased that my title now bears the name of such a lover of new music," says Magnus Lindberg, The Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence. "This gift and prize will provide an inspiration to composers around the world. I think it's wonderful to have the opportunity to represent contemporary music as a Composer-in-Residence who is working as a catalyst for our time."

Magnus Lindberg, The Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence
The appointment of Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg as its new Composer-in-Residence is one of Alan Gilbert's major new initiatives as Music Director. During Mr. Lindberg's two-year tenure, which begins in the 2009-10 season, Mr. Lindberg will write music for the Philharmonic and serve in a curatorial role for the institution. Mr. Lindberg will be an integral part of CONTACT, the New York Philharmonic's new-music series, including curating and conducting programs.

The 2009-10 season will feature two World Premiere-New York Philharmonic Commissions by Mr. Lindberg, including EXPO; the U.S. premiere of his Clarinet Concerto, written for and performed by Finnish clarinetist Kari Kriikku; and a performance of his 1995 work, Arena. All of these programs will be conducted by Mr. Gilbert.

The New York Philharmonic's appointment of Magnus Lindberg reinstitutes the role of Composer-in-Residence as a fundamental part of the Philharmonic's programs. There have been six previous Philharmonic Composers-in-Residence: David Amram (1966-67), Lester Trimble (1967-68), Fredric Myrow (1968-69), Jacob Druckman (1982-86), and David Del Tredici (1988-90). A similar role was occupied by Tania León, who was the Philharmonic's Charles H.A. Revson Composer Fellow (1993-96) and New Music Advisor (1996-97).

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